Storm
by BunBunBabe
Summary: Peter and Neal get snowed in at June's, when the power goes out it's time to play.  For Alex fans she will be in this story as well   Slashy Humor, some language,spanking, possible future slash. Read and Review please. No Flames Plez
1. Chapter 1

**Warning slashy humor, mild spanking (per a request) and silliness abound in this story**

**I don't own this story**

**Peter and Neal get snowed in at June's, when the power goes out it's time to play. **

**Chapter 1: Alert**

Neal groaned stumbled out of bed as he heard the doorbell downstairs begin to ring; he practically ran down the stairs wearing nothing but his silk pajama pants and his tracking anklet. He ripped open the front door with a smile as the cold snow filled wind roared Neal dragged the FBI agent and Satchmo in over the threshold.

"Peter… I told you over the phone I'm fully capable of taking care of June's house all by myself while she's away for the holidays." Neal said as he closed the door and locked it. Peter brushed the snow from his shoulders "Well with El away for the holidays at her families and since this case has really swamped us I thought you would want to get a head start on it and Satchmo missed you…"

It took Neal all of two seconds to figure it out "Let me guess the power is out at your place and because of the snow and you knew we still had power," Neal guessed with a smirk as he leaned against the banister. Satchmo sat by Neal's feet and wagged his tail 'til Neal scratched his head. Peter chucked a bit. "It seems you know me all too well," he remarked as he glanced out the window at the driving snow that had picked up.

"Would you mind if we stayed here for a while? I brought everything that would have gone bad back home, I also brought wine," Peter said as he put the bag he was carrying. "I have another bag in the car which I should get before my car becomes buried," Peter remarked as he zipped his coat back up. Neal ran his hand through his bed head hair "I need a shower; you can bring the bags up to my place when you come back inside," he added as he walked up the steps to the second floor with Satchmo at his heels.

Peter smirked as he made sure the front door was unlocked as he trudged out to his car, when he made it down the stairs he pulled himself through the ankle deep snow, using his keys he unlocked the car and got the bags of food, wine and dog food for Satchmo. _ I wonder how long this storm will last; if it takes too long our cases pile up quickly, _Peter thought as he made his way inside and locked the door.

As he walked upstairs Peter juggled the bags so he could open the apartment door. One he was inside he found the apartment was filled with the smell of cinnamon and sugar cookies._ Did Neal actually bake cookies? I learn something new about him every day;_ Peter mused as he put the bags down on the counter and began to unpack the bags.

* * *

After his shower Neal came out of the bathroom to find Peter watching a game with a bottle of wine in front of him and two glasses. "You sure took your sweet time; the game keeps getting interrupted with weather alerts for the east coast. It seems we're going to get nailed with a foot or two of snow an hour if the storm hits us head on," Peter said as he looked over at Neal who had begun shaking from the cold air that was coming in through a draft in the French doors.

Peter rolled his eyes "If you didn't saunter around in just a towel you wouldn't be so cold," he remarked as he glanced over at the ex con.

"Oh you can't deny I'm good looking; and you just don't want me to wear this towel anymore. You're just afraid I might tempt you into something," Neal said with a seductive chuckle as he walked over to his dresser and dug around looking for clothes ignoring the fact that Peter was rolling his eyes at him. Once he found a turtle neck he slipped it on and the rest of his clothes, so when he was dressed he walked over to the couch and sat down. When he was comfortable he began to smirk "You're sitting in the right place… and so am I," he commented pointing at the ceiling above Peter.

Peter looked up and cocked his head a bit "How did I miss that?" he asked looking at the mistletoe hanging over his head. Neal smirked and leaned over and gave Peter a small peck on the cheek. "I made cookies especially for you, I was going to bring them to you but with the storm you came here instead." Neal said with a smile.

"Well I will have to sample some of them, but before we do that I thought we could talk about this case. I know you will say no but we have a job to do," Peter said as he turned the volume on the television down.

Neal pouted "Peter we never get any time alone, it's either we're surrounded by other agents or something else comes up," Neal said as he scooted closer to Peter. Peter held up a manila folder so that Neal hit it. "That's not nice Peter, how could we be in a relationship if you keep being so coy," Neal said with a smirk.

Sitting up quickly Peter kicked the coffee table by accident causing Satchmo to jump up a bit. "We are not in a relationship; you're blackmailing me into this relationship," Peter said as he got up from the couch.

Neal looked with mocked shock on his face "I am not blackmailing you at all, I told you how I felt and that was it," he said as he stood up and stalked forward 'til he was nose to nose with Peter. Both men kept staring at each other as they were about to apologize when another weather report interrupted the game.

"It has been decided that the National Guard will be on alert for the next ten hours while the noreaster said to hit New England and as far down the east coast as Atlantic City barrels down on us. Citizens are asked to stay indoors as much as possible due to white…" before the report was over the television and the power went out.

Neal sighed "I had a feeling this would happen, June has a camping stove and propane tanks in the basement she keeps them for emergencies so we can cook when we need to… as for heat I think we should snuggle up under some blankets and try to stay as warm as possible. I know you're going to say no so I'll make you a deal. If you snuggle with me I'll devote an hour to talking about the case," Neal promised as he grabbed an extra blanket off his bed and handed it to Peter.

"I'm going to go look for the stove and propane so we can cook," he added as he grabbed a flashlight and checked to make sure it worked. "You should keep warm or Elizabeth would kill me if you got sick," Neal remarked as he left the apartment and made his way down the hall to stairs. Peter sighed and got up from where he was sitting, he gave a small chuckle and followed his partner and grabbed him by the shoulder causing him to jump.

"Sorry, I didn't think it would be good if you went alone," Peter said as he grabbed the flashlight out of Neal's hand and turned it on as they walked down the basement stairs and began to look around. Neal wrapped his arms around Peter's free arm as he looked around.

* * *

By the time they found the stove and the tanks and brought them back up to Neal's apartment Peter heard his stomach start to growl "I guess we should see if this thing works," he said connecting everything together so Neal could use the stove. Neal dug around the cabinets collecting ingredients, when he finished putting the soup together he put the lid on the pot and rushed under the blanket that Peter was putting around himself.

"I'm getting cold and body heat is the only way to really stay warm," Neal insisted as he snuggled up and put his arms around Peter's neck to keep him close. The wind outside began to howl as the visibility began to drop even lower as the buildings that made up the view from Neal's windows began to disappear into the white snow.

Peter groaned as he tried to pry Neal off of him "Fine, we'll talk and snuggle," Peter said in a defeated tone as he tightened the blanket around them. "Now what are your thoughts on the case, we know that he has a taste for modern art," Peter asked as he shifted over a bit.

Neal looked over at Satchmo and pulled the blanket open so the lovable dog could snuggle up on their laps. "As for the case it's a good bet that he hasn't hit the gallery yet for the most obvious reason being the snow storm but the real reason is the painting he's going after is a fake." He said rubbing Satchmo's head.

"What are you talking about Neal, how do you know it's a fake?" Peter asked as he turned to look at the other man. Neal looked away trying not to make eye contact with the man who knew him well. Peter knew that his partner was hiding something and that he wouldn't incriminate himself.

With a smirk Peter leaned in "You tell me the truth and I'll give you something for it," he whispered causing Neal to spill his secret "I stole the original and put a fake in its place years ago and the artist doesn't even notice it's a fake," Neal squeaked out from the intense gaze Peter had given him. He could feel his heart race and his cheeks heat up. Peter smirked "It's not fun being on the other side of the charm is it?" Peter asked as he gave Satchmo a quick pet.

Neal took a deep breath to collect himself "I should check on the soup, and then you can give me what you promised," he said as he got up from under Satchmo and the blankets. "I need to check on the soup" Neal repeated nervously as he moved over to the small set up on the counter and stirred the soup.

"I saw a few things in the basement we could use like firewood for the fireplace, that June says it still works, and I also saw some extra blankets. I'll go grab those and don't worry I won't get hurt" Neal said quickly with a smile as he disappeared once again.

Peter looked at Satchmo "He can't get in too much trouble in the house right?" he asked only to have Satchmo lay his head on the pillow and go to sleep. Not feeling comforted Peter got up and walked over to the window and looked out at the swirling snow as it fell from the clouds above.

* * *

It took Neal twenty minutes to juggle the pile of wood in his arms and the extra blankets draped over his shoulders. When he got back to his apartment he found Peter standing by the window looking out at the snow. Neal smiled as he put the wood by the fireplace and the blankets over one of his chairs. "I was wondering… just what kind of something you were going to give me for this information?" Neal asked as he made his way carefully over to Peter.

Peter turned around with a smirk on his face "I feel that I have to apologize in advance, it will be painful and you won't be sitting right for a while," Peter said as he put his arm around Neal's shoulder and led him toward the bed.

Neal looked over at Peter; he became instantly suspicious of the other man "One minute you're telling me you don't want to be in a relationship with me and now you're taking me to bed? What happened in the time I was gone?" Neal asked as he stopped and began to back away.

"You assume its sex, but it's not," Peter said as he tightened his arm to keep Neal from running off. As they reached the bed Peter slowly released Neal "I want you to take hold of the foot board and bend over," Peter said in an authoritative tone.

Blushing darkly Neal looked at his partner before finally moving into position, as he bent over he noticed that Peter had gone out of his peripheral vision. "Peter where did yo…ow…" Neal cried out as he felt something hit his lower backside hard and fast. "What was that?" Neal asked standing up and turning to the other man. Peter looked at Neal "I'm punishing you for stealing that painting," he responded with as he pointed at foot board.

Neal whimpered "I'm telling Elizabeth that you spanked me," Neal said as he moved back into position. Peter chuckled "You'll have to tell her why though and then she will say it was the right thing to do," Peter said as he readied his belt again and struck Neal a few more times until he was sure that his partner had learned his lesson.

"Ow..." Neal whimpered as he moves around the bed and laid face first on his bed. "I let you into my home and you spank me," Neal grumbled as he buried his head under his pillow. Peter sat on the bed and patted Neal's back a bit until the other man looked up at him. "Look I'm sorry that I did that but I felt it was the only way to teach you that your actions have consequences," Peter remarked.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes Neal sat up as best he could "I guess that this will be a recurring thing if I break the rules again?" Neal asked as he managed to flip himself over and push himself up so he was propped up on the pillows. Peter chuckled and ruffled Neal's hair out of his eyes.

"You've got that right; do anything stupid at any time and you will bend over and getting what you deserve," Peter said with a smirk. Neal sighed and forced himself up off the bed "Even though I hate to admit it, I do feel warmer and it's a shame it's not what I wanted," Neal responded as he tried to ignore the dull pain. Neal yawned as he grabbed a bowl and served himself some soup.

"I wonder how long this storm will last," Neal wondered aloud as he sat carefully at the table and started to eat. Peter chuckled as he walked over and spooned out a bowl for himself before sitting across from Neal. "It smells good; then again you have always been known to be a good cook. Since we're probably going to be stuck together for a while I've been thinking we need to get to know each other more than what surveillance can teach," Peter said as he picked up his spoon.

* * *

Neal smirked at the opportunity to learn more about the other man "I'll go first, you chased me for years and even after so many failures you never gave up, why is that?" Neal asked as he slurped up a few noodles.

Peter smirked "Well with each failure I learned a bit more on how you react to the pressure and I knew that if I kept at you and never let up in the end you would make a mistake and I would catch you," Peter said honestly as he ate his soup. Neal smiled at the answer "Well now you get to ask me anything you want, don't hold back," he said still smiling.

"Alright then, I want to know why no matter what I do you keep after me to be in a relationship. I mean I never figured you to go both ways. I always thought you only loved Kate," Peter asked curiously.

Smirking Neal sat back a bit "So you went right for the big question, well you're right I'll admit it I go both ways; I have for years and I was just with Kate for so long that I guess it fooled everyone. To answer why I won't take no for an answer is a bit harder to answer; when you first arrested me you said that I could have done anything with my life and that it was disappointing that I was throwing my life away. Well, ever since then I thought of you as my safety net. After a while that grew into a crush and then it just got stronger from there. Mozzie says that I'm insane to have such feelings but I don't care; I just want you to know that I wouldn't dare try to get between you and Elizabeth. I'm satisfied with loving you from afar," Neal said sincerely as he finished his soup_...at least for now. Maybe later I can warm him up to the idea later_, Neal thought with an inner smirk.

After taking a moment to think everything over Peter looked at Neal "I guess I can live with your love for me just as long as it stays between us," Peter said as he put his spoon down on the table he looked at Neal who had begun to smile.

"How annoyed did you use to get when I sent you cards and letters while you were chasing me?" Neal asked his smile getting wider.

"I was pretty annoyed and I thought of throwing everything away but El convinced me to keep them; she found them cute. She called it a cute cat and mouse game. So I kept them in a box and I looked back at them for any clues on catching you from time to time," Peter answered as he got up and began to clear the table.

Both men then parked themselves on the chairs by the bookcase so they could continue their questioning for the rest of the day until dinner when they had more of Neal's chicken soup. Once they finished dinner they lit a few more candles for light so they could read until they decided to call it an early night.

* * *

Peter looked at the other man "As the guest it's pretty clear I should get it… besides there are other rooms," he said as he stood by Neal's bed. Neal sighed "I explained it to you already there is no power which means no heat in the rest of the house and it's my bed and I'm fine with sharing it with you and Satchmo," Neal said as he clambered under the blankets and cuddled up against his pillow.

Letting out a loud sigh Peter slid under the blankets on the other side of the bed "You promise to stay on your side of the bed?" he asked as he kept his back to Neal. With a soft chuckle Neal crossed his fingers under the blanket "Of course, you can trust me Peter," Neal said an evident smirk in his voice. Peter sighed as he sat up and blew out the last candle in the room plunging them into darkness. He lay there waiting for sleep to claim him.


	2. Chapter 2

**((warning, you know what I'm going to say, I don't own property of USA network, more slash, slashy jokes and some amusing antics in this chapter))**

**Chapter 2: Shut Down**

Peter woke the next morning to a silent city, as he started to roll over he felt something behind him. "Neal I told you to stay on your side of the bed…" Peter said as he turned and found Neal hugging Satchmo who had taken to sleeping between him and Neal. With a small smirk Peter rubbed Satchmo's head "Good boy," he whispered as he got out of bed and made his way over to the large French doors and sighed at the snow before pulling out his cell phone out and called Jones.

"Hey boss, the city is shut down today I managed to get into the office this morning along with a few of us did. Did Neal call you yet? I heard his end of the city lost power last night," Jones said while typing up some information on his computer. "I'm at Neal's now; I had to spend the night," Peter said as he walked over to the small kitchen area and began to make coffee. "Look we're snowed in for the day at least; I want you and Diana to take point on the gallery case and keep us updated," Peter added as he began to make coffee.

Neal slowly woke up to the smell of opened coffee grounds he slipped out of bed and moved across the room until he was behind Peter. "Morning, did you sleep well?" Neal asked as he gave Peter a quick hug. "I'm on the phone Neal, get off," Peter hissed as he tried to push his partner off of him. Wanting to have some fun Neal smirked "Come back to bed its cold," Neal said as he quickly moved out of range of Peter's arm as he took a playful swing at him.

* * *

Jones bit his lip as he listened to the conversation on the other line. "I'll get to work on that gallery job right away." He said before hanging up and giving a small chuckle. He knew his boss would want to have some privacy in punishing Neal. Jones knew his boss was happily married; although he wondered why Peter was at Neal's all night. _ Must have been something important,_ Jones thought as he pulled up the case file on his computer.

Diana walked over "Did you get a hold of him?" she asked with a smile. Clinton debated whether or not to say anything in the end he gave into his amusement "I just got off the phone with him apparently he spent the night at Neal's and it sounds like they shared a bed," He said holding out his hand "Two months on the dot pay up," he said chuckling. Diana leaned over the desk "Until I see them making out on a desk in this office you're not getting a penny out of me," she said with smirk before she grabbed the folder off Jones' desk. "I still have two more months, then you will be paying me" Diana added as she sat at her desk and went back to work.

* * *

Peter looked at Neal "What are you trying do… make everyone think I'm having an affair with you?" he asked as he stalked towards Neal. "You know what this means right, you better assume the position on that foot board," Peter said sternly as he pointed to the bed. Neal smirked as he backed up away from the approaching agent. "What are you going to do to me if I don't bend over?" Neal asked with a smirk.

As he backed up Neal he forgot where the rug was and ended up slipping on it. Peter moved quickly and caught the other man from falling. "I don't need you cracking you head on the floor when we're snowed in," Peter said as he kept his arm around Neal's lower back.

"If you keep your hand there any longer Peter I might get mixed signals," Neal whispered as he felt his pulse rise a bit. "You are really strong to hold me up like this," he added as he felt himself being helped to stand up. Peter grabbed Neal by the arm and dragged him to the bed. Neal stood there and smiled "Come on Peter I was just playing around; do you have to keep spanking me… if someone else hears about it they might get the wrong idea," Neal said as he was forcibly bent over.

Peter held his hand out and began to spank Neal, and when he took a break he helped Neal stand up for a moment. "Do I need to continue or have you learned your lesson?" Peter asked. Taking a moment to think Neal smirked "In all the years I've known you I never knew you were into such a kinky action. I think I'll keep this to myself," Neal said chuckling softly. Peter looked at the other man. "So you think this is kinky, do you?" Peter said as he began to take off his belt.

Neal smirked "So are you going to bind my hands together, I'm not usually into bondage but I'm open to anything," he remarked as he held out his wrists. "I know you love putting hand cuffs on me so this should be a little more thrilling," Neal suggested as he took another step closer. Peter sighed in annoyance. "Fine you want to do that," Peter said as he roughly began to wrap the belt around Neal's wrists so his hands were facing each other he belted the belt and looked at the conman. "Happy now?" Peter asked as he pushed Neal onto the bed so he was sitting there.

"It was more for you than me; you always seem to smile when you handcuff me. So I thought maybe you would find this really amusing, unless I have to be committing a crime first," Neal remarked as he held up his bound hands. Before Peter could respond both men looked up when the doorbell rang downstairs. Neal wiggled his hands till he was free from the belt and tossed it back at Peter "Not much of a challenge but still fun," he said as he gave Peter a peck on the lips before running off to answer the still ringing doorbell.

Peter put his hand to his lips to rub to kiss off but he stopped and chuckled when he realized his wallet was missing from his back pocket. _He really moves quickly, I didn't even feel him take it,_ Peter thought as he walked after Neal to get his wallet back.

Neal pocketed the wallet as he opened the front door "Alex? What are you doing here?" Neal asked as he backed up to let her in. Alex smiled "Well I lost my power and I was hoping that you still had power so I just trudged through nearly knee deep snow to get here, and I don't plan on leaving so I'm going to crash here for a while until the snow melts," Alex said as she removed her coat and tossed it at Neal.

Alex made her way up the stairs and came face to face with Peter "Oh you're here… did you spend the night?" she asked with a smirk. Peter pushed the blush back with his will power, "We shared the same bed but so did my dog so nothing happened that ever needs to be repeated to anyone," Peter warned. Alex smiled "Oh no deal, I'm holding onto this information to be used sometime in the future," she joked as she walked past Peter and into Neal's apartment.

Peter grabbed Neal's arm as he tried to walk past him "Give me my wallet back right this minute," he hissed as he held his hand out. Neal pulled the wallet out "I needed a little practice and you are a pretty easy target," Neal said as he handed the wallet over and went into his apartment. "So you came to visit, Alex do you know how close I almost got…you're not making this any easier for me," Neal whispered which made Alex smile. "Don't worry I won't be here too long, the plow trucks are starting to make their rounds so I'll leave as soon as the streets are done," she said as she took a seat at the table.

Neal took a seat at the table "You're not here just to visit I know you too well, you want my help on a job and the answer is no…" Neal said as he jerked his head to the door. "If he catches wind of any jobs it won't be pleasant, just tell me is it dangerous?" Neal asked. "Not too dangerous, the items in question are very worth it. I have to ask what do you know about daggers and swords." Alex asked with a smile. "I have a buyer who wants some museum quality pieces and there just so happens to be a large collection at the Met of Japanese swords and armor." Alex said with a smirk.

Before Neal could say anything Peter walked back into the apartment. "I'm going to try and dig my car out of the snow so stay out of trouble," Pete ordered as he grabbed his coat and left the apartment. Neal looked at Alex "You've always said you wouldn't want my help while I'm part of the FBI," Neal said leaning back in his chair.

Alex looked down at Neal's ankle "Um Neal your tracker is offline it has been since last night I'm guessing. All we have to do is get to the museum and get the swords before the city's power is restored," Alex said trying to get Neal to join her.

Thinking the offer over carefully Neal got up and grabbed a bottle of wine "Alex if you even try to rob the museum I'll be forced to tell Peter and you'll go to jail so I'm giving you the chance to back away now," Neal said as he uncorked the bottle and poured two glasses for himself and Alex before sitting back down, he held out a glass to her.

"Neal you have to help, if you don't then I might let it accidentally slip that a certain FBI agent is having an affair with a co-worker that happen to be male, even if it's not true it will ruin him forever," she said taking the glass from Neal. Neal felt his hand begin to shake in anger; he downed the wine in one gulp. "Fine, I'll do the job but know this I am doing this under protest," he said angrily as he put the glass down hard.

* * *

Peter watched Alex and Neal talking quietly on the couch. "I'm turning in early, all that shoveling took a lot out of me," Peter said not realizing that Neal had slipped a couple sleeping pills in his dinner. After changing into his sweat pants Peter crawled into bed with Satchmo who had fallen asleep already. Neal watched his partner slowly drift off, and when he was sure that Peter was sound asleep he got up and walked over to his dresser and began to look for a change of clothes.

"Just remember if anything goes wrong we have to get out of there right away," Neal said as he pulled a black turtle neck on. Alex rolled her eyes "Yes Mom," Alex said in an annoyed tone as she pulled her gloves on. "We have a long way to travel, I made a couple calls and the roads are open near the museum but none near here. We have to walk fifteen blocks and before we can get a car," she said as she tied her hair up.

Neal grabbed his own gloves and put them on "Let's just get this over with," he said as he grabbed his house keys and shoved them into his pocket before leaving June's house. As they made their way down the streets Neal looked at Alex "I almost forgot how manipulative you can be sometimes using anything to get your way," Neal said as he put his hands in his pockets as they walked through the empty city.

Alex moved over to Neal and hooked her arm around his "Okay we have to watch out for security. I know that they have at least two guards at night. But with the storm I doubt anyone's there," she added laughing a bit as they walked down the street.

Sighing loudly Neal felt the cold air on his face. "Alex instead of adding grand theft auto to this night of crime we're only four blocks away we should just walk the whole way," Neal said as he turned the corner. Alex laughed softly "I like the way you think, we are only going after only a few of the weapons since we won't be able to carry them all," Alex remarked as they finally came up to the steps of the museum.

Neal pulled Alex down the small alley to the service doors. "It shouldn't take too long for me pick this lock," Neal said as he pulled his lock picking set out of his coat pocket and began to work on the locks. After a couple seconds Neal stood up "There now let's get this over with," he remarked as he held the door open for Alex.

Grabbing Neal by the arm Alex led him through him through the doorway; where she pulled a flashlight out of her pocket. After turning the light on she pulled Neal down the hall to the main staircase. Neal looked around with the small beam of light from his own flashlight, the thrill of being in a museum at night when he knew it was illegal made his adrenaline rush. As they headed down the second floor hallway Neal felt his sense working in overdrive to make sure there was no one else around other than Alex.

When they got to the door leading into the exhibit Neal once again pulled out his lock picking set again and began to work on the door before pocketing the kit again and walking inside to look around. "Which ones are we stealing?" Neal asked as he scanned the room with his flashlight.

Alex walked away from Neal until she came up to a display case where she looked the weapons over before she raised her flashlight and smashed the case open. "Hurry and grab a couple swords" Alex whispered as she grabbed a few swords. Neal bit his lip and quickly debated whether or not to just run, when he thought of Peter losing his job Neal threw all rational thought aside as he grabbed two short swords and shoved them into his belt.

"That's the spirit Neal, you've been too brainwashed too long by the FBI" Alex said as she grabbed another sword. As they were grabbing the swords they both were unaware of the roaming security guard until he entered the room. Neal looked up when he heard a door on the far side of the exhibit hall open. Both were shocked when they were suddenly bathed in the light of another flashlight. Looking up with 'the deer in the head lights' look Neal nearly dropped his flashlight. "Run," he yelled as he turned around Alex dropped the last sword and took off keeping speed with Neal as they made a break for the door.

"Freeze!" the guard yelled as he pumped the shot gun he was carrying filled with bean bag rounds. When neither thief froze he took aim and fired. Neal cried out in pain, he felt his shoulder on fire where he had been struck. Keeping his mind on saving Peter's job Neal sucked up the pain and kept moving throughout the darkness following Alex's flashlight beam.

The guard pumped the gun again and took another shot hoping to take the intruders down before they got away. Alex barely looked over her shoulder as she ran down the main stairs she saw the emergency lights that led to the service hall. "We're almost there, hurry up" she said as a beanbag round grazed her leg. Neal turned around to look behind him for a moment as he ran the guard shot off another round catching Neal in the chest and throwing Neal back a few steps. Neal caught himself before he fell to the ground; he put his uninjured arm over his chest as he ran down the hall and out the door into the dark city.

Alex laughed as she grabbed Neal by the arm and pulled him into an alley "What a rush, I mean I haven't done anything like that in years," Alex said as she laughed as she turned to Neal. "I only did this to save Peter's job," Neal said as he moves his arm from his chest and pulled the swords from his belt and shoved them into Alex's arms. "Take them, I'm already risking more jail time by being out of my radius," Neal said as he walked out of the alley slowly. "I'm going home," he added as he put his arm back over his chest and slowly began to walk away in pain.

Neal groaned as he made his way through the dark streets of New York until he reached June's mansion. _ Peter is going to kill me when he finds out where I've been,_ Neal thought as he slipped in the front door and up the stairs to his apartment and on his way up the stairs he removed his gloves and coat. Once he was inside the apartment he threw his coat and gloves on the floor, after finding Peter and Satchmo still asleep on the bed he sighed lightly. Being thankful for small favors Neal made his way over to the couch and collapsed onto his uninjured side to get some sleep. As soon as his head hit the back of the couch he groaned in pain before falling into a restless sleep.

* * *

As Peter woke the next morning he sat up and saw Neal sleeping upright on the couch, the FBI agent climbed out of bed and looked at the other man. Right away he could tell something was off about the ex con. Attributing the feeling to a dreamless sleep Peter walked into the bathroom and got ready for the day, when he got out of the bathroom he heard his phone vibrating on the dining room table. He snatched the phone up and opened it. "Burke… oh morning Diana, Neal and I will be in soon I just have to wake him up; he fell asleep on the couch so it should be easy to wake him," Peter said as he tied his tie and looked around for his shoes.

"The streets are pretty much clear now boss, oh we have a new case I'm sure it will pique Neal's interest. It seems that someone took advantage of the power loss in the city and decided to break into the Metropolitan Museum of Art and stole four Japanese swords on display, the guard said there were at least two of them. The guard is here if you want to talk to him," Diana said.

Peter looked back over at Neal who had begun to stir "We'll be in as soon as we can; when we get in I want to talk to him. Have him tell you everything in as much detail as he can remember about the intruders. I see you when I get to the office," Peter said before hanging up and turning to Neal who was walking over to him rubbing his neck a bit. "What's with the all black look?" Peter asked as Neal walked over to the dresser and pulled out his clothes for the day.

Neal looked down at himself and realized that he was still wearing his clothes from the night before. "Alex spilled her wine on my shirt so I changed and I didn't even realize it was black," he said with a fake smile as he walked into the bathroom to change. "I'll be out in ten minutes," Neal called as he bit his lip keep himself from screaming in pain as he raised his shirt over his head.

When he was sure he wasn't going to black out from the pain he looked at the sickeningly black and purple bruise on his ribs, turning so his back was to the mirror he looked over his shoulder at the matching bruise that had spread from his collar bone to the middle of his back.

_It won't take long before the FBI finds out about the missing swords,_ Neal thought as he struggled to get his shirt on. After a painful dressing Neal made his way out of the bathroom and found himself face to face with a portable cup of coffee for the ride to work. "You made coffee?" Neal asked quizzically as he took the cup with his left hand and sipped the coffee.

"June came home earlier this morning and she had coffee made for us before she went to bed, it seems that she was stuck at the airport last night and she only able to get back about hour ago," Peter said sipping his own Italian roast. "Before we head if I thought I would fill you in, we have a new case. It seems that someone broke into the Met last night and stole a few swords from an exhibit," he casually said relaying the information he got from Diana although he held back some information.

Neal nodded "It doesn't surprise me that someone took advantage of the power and stole those Japanese swords," Neal said as he walked past Peter sipping his coffee. Peter looked at the other man "I never said what country they were from," Peter said looking at the other man "Do you care to explain how knew which ones were stolen," he added waiting for an explanation. With a forced smile Neal turned around and looked at Peter "Well it's pretty obvious the swords are from Japan since that's the only weapon exhibit at the museum right now; it may be out of my radius but I still follow what exhibits are there," Neal remarked as Peter let out a huff and opened the door and walked down to his car with Neal.

* * *

As they drove to work Peter watched Neal fidget out of the corner of his eye. Right away he had noticed Neal favoring the right side of his chest and right shoulder. "What happened, I noticed that you're favoring your right side," he said as he pulled into an open parking spot.

"I slept the wrong way so I'm just a bit sore, nothing a long day sitting in a comfortable desk chair won't fix," Neal said with a slightly sarcastic smile as he got out of the car trying not to yell out in pain as he moved his right arm. He walked into the building and said his usual hellos to the people at the front desk before riding up to the upper floors of the building. When they walked into the office and after Neal put his coat at his desk, he looked up at the conference room and saw Diana talking to a man dressed as a security guard. Right away Neal felt his stomach drop since he knew that the man had to be the guard from the museum sitting there talking to the agents.

Diana was taking notes as the guard talked "Can you remember any details that would help with this case?" she asked looking up at the man. He sat back in the chair he was sitting in "I caught them in the hall so I used the shot gun with the bean bag rounds and I think I hit the woman, I'm not quite sure but I know for sure I got the man in the should on the right side I think and I think I hit him a second time." The guard said letting his eyes wander for a moment as Neal and Peter walked into the room, he noticed Neal favoring his right side as he sat down.

"What are you playing at, that's the guy… if you don't believe me check him for bruises I shot him close enough to leave a bruise as big as a watermelon," he said as he watched Neal try to keep his composure.


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning don't own, slashy fun, humor and other things. This is the final chapter of Storm I hope you all enjoy. I would like to thank Peppe for betaing this story and for my fans who enjoy what I write.  
**

**Chapter 3: Warming Up**

Peter looked at his partner for a moment before looking at the guard "Thank you for your help if we need any more assistance with the case we'll call you," Peter said trying to reign in his anger that Neal had robbed a museum. Once the guard was gone Peter looked at Diana "Can you please excuse us… and tell the team to take a two hour long lunch break," he added turning his eyes on Neal as he sat down across from him and folded his hands in front of his mouth while he watched the bullpen empty.

When the department was empty Peter stood up and looked at the consultant "What the hell were you thinking! The power goes out for two days and you decided to go on a crime spree with Alex. Was it just a coincidence that she showed up last night?" he yelled as he rubbed his forehead trying to fight the oncoming headache. Neal shook as he stood up before and Peter could stop him he ran out of the conference room and the office. Once he was in the lobby he went down the hall and into the first men's room he came to and finding it empty he locked the door and sat against it using his body as a barrier to keep the door from being opened. Growling loudly Peter followed behind Neal and found the bathroom door locked "Neal you open this door right now!" Peter yelled as he felt his headache hitting him right between the eyes.

"I want to talk with Elizabeth, I know she won't yell at me," Neal called through the door hoping that he could buy himself some time 'til Peter calmed down and forgot about the theft. Peter stood outside the door " If you think I'm going to forget about this Neal you are sadly mistaken I can wait you out, there is no food in there Neal," Peter said hoping for some type of reaction. When he didn't get one he pulled out his cell phone and called Elizabeth. "Hey honey could you swing by the office…Neal needs to speak to you, he locked himself in the bathroom and he isn't planning on coming out till he's spoken to you," Peter explained as he paced the small area by the door.

"Neal, Elizabeth is on her way she's going to be here in a little while. So would you like to unlock the door and let me in to talk?" Peter asked as he tried to worm his way in to the bathroom. _When I get in there I'm going to drag him out kicking and screaming and force him to tell me what's going on, _Peter thought as he paced the lobby waiting for his wife to arrive.

Elizabeth arrived outside the bathroom and found her husband pacing like an old junkyard dog. After greeting him she smiled ready to take over the challenge of getting Neal to talk about the problem at hand. "Why don't you get something to eat for Neal and don't get anything like deviled ham you know he doesn't like that," she said as she walked over to the door and knocked on it softly.

"Neal it's me, can I come in?" Elizabeth asked as she waved Peter off and watched him enter the elevator. Neal stood up and unlocked the door, peeking out first to make sure that Peter had indeed gone, after a quick search he opened door and let Elizabeth in.

"Okay, I'm here now why don't you tell me what's wrong Neal, all Peter told me was that you wanted to speak to me and that you locked yourself in the bathroom," Elizabeth said noticing the young man had begun to fidget under her gaze while at the same time holding his chest with his left arm.

Neal chewed on his lip a bit trying to think of how to explain his problem. He knew starting at the beginning was best "Alex came to June's yesterday and found out that Peter had stayed over the night before and that we shared a bed. When Peter went to go dig his car out of the snow she told me that if I didn't help her steal some swords from a museum she would let it slip that Peter is having an affair with me. I just harmlessly flirt with him from time to time… I couldn't let her do it, I knew it would ruin his reputation at the FBI and ultimately his life; she blackmailed me into stealing the swords. But now Peter hates me because of what I did and I don't know how to tell him that I didn't have a choice… that it was the only way I could keep Alex quiet," Neal said as he began to cry.

Elizabeth walked over and hugged Neal, but when she felt him wince she pulled away "What happened?" she asked looking the young man over carefully. Neal moved back a step and slowly un-tucked his shirt and unbuttoned it; and with some discomfort Neal pushed the right side of his shirt off revealing the bruises on his chest and back.

"The guard at the museum shot me with two bean bag rounds," Neal said softly as he lowered his gaze. Gasping softly Elizabeth walked over and looked at the bruises closer "Oh Neal," Elizabeth said lightly touching the deep purple and black bruises causing the consultant to pull away. "Peter will be back with lunch soon, after we have eaten then you can tell him what you told me and he won't be mad I promise," she said softly. Neal nodded and slowly put his shirt back on; and after he was dressed he looked at himself in the mirror to make sure his eyes weren't red.

* * *

Peter walked out of the elevator and found Elizabeth waiting for him. "Did you get Neal to talk?" he asked looking at his wife. "Yes and I think you two should talk in private and when he tells you the truth please don't get mad at him," she said taking the bag from Peter. The agent nodded and walked through the still empty bullpen to where Neal was hiding in the conference room.

"Hey… I got your favorite from the deli as an apology for yelling at you; I shouldn't have done that when I haven't heard your side of the story yet," Peter remarked as he took a seat at the table and watched Neal move over to the table like a skittish cat. Once he was seated Peter un-wrapped his sandwich before speaking. "Now I'm all ears I want to hear your side of the story," he said as he opened his soda.

Neal opened the plastic around his sandwich and picked at the bread with his uninjured arm nibbling on the bits of bread before speaking. "Last night after you went out to dig your car out Alex started talking about the exhibit at the museum and I knew that was the main reason for her coming over; she wanted my help to get inside. She said that if I didn't help her she would spread a rumor that you and I were having a secret affair," Neal paused as he snuck a look at Peter to see how he was taking it. "So under extreme protest I helped her but only to protect you from having your life ruined and possibly losing your job," Neal said as his eyes started to water up again. "Peter, am I going to go back to jail?" Neal asked as the tears began spilling down his cheeks.

Watching someone cry was always hard for Peter and when Neal did it he felt even more awkward than when Elizabeth cried. Looking around for help Peter noticed Elizabeth was gone leaving him to deal with Neal. "Neal… I didn't know, I'm sorry that I yelled at you before and that I accused you for planning the theft," Peter apologized before picking up his deviled ham sandwich. As he picked at his sandwich Neal looked at the other man, already knowing the next question Neal beat Peter to the punch. "I have no idea where Alex is or the swords. I gave her the ones I was carrying before walking all the way back to June's alone," Neal said softly as he cleaned his fingers off and put his head down on the table.

"Neal without those swords there's not much I can do, the guard identified you as one of the robbers; plus you told me you willingly went out of your radius to commit a crime...there is nothing more I can do other than arrest you," Peter said solemnly. Neal sat up and took in a deep breath "Then I want my lawyer," he said wiping away the remnants of the tear streaks. Peter swallowed the last bit of his sandwich before picking up his cell phone and handing it over to Neal.

"Peter…I hope you got the part that I did this for you because I care about you," Neal said as he dialed Mozzie's number. "Moz, I need you to come down to the FBI office…as my lawyer," Neal said as he listened to the other man rambled about the government conspiracies. After talking Mozzie into coming Neal hung the phone up and slid it back across the table at Peter.

After twenty minutes Mozzie walked into the conference room dressed in a suit "I hope you're not talking to my client without me, anything you might have heard is privileged and can't be used in court since I was not present at the time of any questioning," Mozzie said walking around the table and put his briefcase down on the table beside Neal.

The agent looked at the con man and sighed "I wasn't interrogating him, we were just talking about what happened and he asked if he was going to jail, when I explained what would happened he asked for you," Peter said recounting what had happened so far. Mozzie nodded his head, "Give me a couple minutes with my client and don't leave anything behind, who knows what you could have bugged," Mozzie said as Peter got up and walked out of the conference room shutting the door behind him.

"Mozzie other than a weak identification they really don't have any evidence against me… other than a few bruises from the bean bags I was shot with," Neal said lightly as he pulled his right arm closer to his body. The older man sighed "I will try and find Alex and try to get her to return the swords for a lighter sentence but with the identification and your bruises will be enough to put you in jail for a while; you don't actually have a legal alibi," Mozzie said sitting back and putting his hands behind his head. Neal sighed and shook his head in agreement "Find her soon Moz, I don't do well in prison at all," Neal remarked as Peter walked back into the room.

Neal slowly got to his feet and looked at Peter "I'm ready to go now; we should go before everyone comes back. I really don't want to be walked out of here in cuffs in front of everyone again," Neal said as he walked around the table and held out his wrists to be cuffed even though it put him through a lot of pain. "Put your hands down, you don't have to put yourself through the pain, we're just going to casually walk out," Peter said as he took a step back so Neal could walk past him.

"Neal…I promise you won't have to stay in prison that long, I'll help Mozzie track Alex down before she sells the swords," he added as he led Neal to his car and drove him to the prison. Watching the prison get closer Neal looked over at Peter "If you don't come to visit I'll call you at different hours to bother you," Neal said trying to lighten his worry about prison.

The agent sighed "Before you go in is there anything you could think of that could help me find Alex?"Peter asked as he pulled up to the gate. Neal began to shake a bit as he looked at the prison gate. "Peter…do I have to go in there?" Neal asked not hearing Peter's question at all he had been lost in his own world. Peter reached over and put his hand on Neal's shoulder. "I'm going to find her and get those swords back," Peter promised as he moved his hand from Neal's shoulder.

Neal gave a weak smile "I'll hold you to that then…and I'm sorry for flirting with you and making it easy for Alex to blackmail me with. This all my fault I guess I do belong here," Neal said as Peter got out of the car and walked around the car and opened the door. Peter looked at his partner "I'll walk you in as far as I can," Peter said as he watched Neal get out of the car, and after shutting the car door Peter walked beside Neal into the prison. Peter filled out the paperwork as Neal was taken away. When he was finished Peter walked back to his car and drove back to the office. _ El is going to kill me for arresting him again,_ Peter thought as he drove back to the city.

* * *

Peter followed the guards down the familiar hallway to the visitor's room and when he arrived he saw Neal standing by the window looking out at the sunshine, Peter was able to see right away why he had gotten the call from the prison doctor; Neal looked like he hadn't eaten a full meal in over two weeks. "Hey Neal…" Peter said as he walked around the table and over to where Neal was standing.

"Any luck with Alex?" he asked hopeful that she had been found. Peter smiled as he took a seat. "It took a few days but we finally caught her… well actually she called at four in the morning the other day. It turns out the buy went south and she needed protection so she's being held at a safe house, that was almost three days ago," Peter said noting right away the look on Neal's face. "Does that mean I get to go home?" Neal asked with a pleading puppy dog look.

With a loud sigh Peter looked away for a moment "At first you were going to serve six years and some change for breaking and entering and leaving your court appointed radius," Peter said as he watched Neal's face drop. "But I put my ass on the line again and convinced a federal judge that having you around is a good thing. Now your current probation has been extended to such a degree that we're working together for quite a while before you're a free man again, and if you do something this stupid again we're both in trouble." Peter said warningly as he stood up.

Neal smiled as the guard came in with his effects, and with a new spring in his step Neal went into the other room and changed into his suit which showed his weight loss. Walking back out the main gate Neal found Peter waiting for him, with a very heavy sense of déjà Neal got into the car and smiled "Prison food is terrible I can't wait to get back," Neal said as he began to mess with the radio dials, "I'm starving and tired," he added as he reached to turn the music up only to flinch in pain. Peter saw the reaction "You're still in pain aren't you? And since medical care is pretty limited in prison I'm taking you to be checked out at the nearest clinic before taking you to my place so you can eat and sleep," Peter said as he dove off toward his home.

* * *

When they were ten blocks away from the Burke's home Peter turned down a road and parked in front of a small medical complex. Neal gave an uncharacteristic whimper; they aren't going to give me a shot are they?" Neal asked as he got out of the car. Peter rolled his eyes " You're a grown man; you can deal with a shot," Peter remarked as they walked into the clinic, and after filling out the paper work with the right information Peter walked back to the counter and handed the nurse behind the counter the clipboard.

Neal looked around and started to nervously tap his foot on the floor, when the nurse came through the door and called Neal's name. Neal looked up before looking away hoping that Peter hadn't heard the nurse. Peter stood up and grabbed Neal by his good wrist and dragged him through the door and down the hall to the examination room where the doctor was waiting.

After having Neal take his shirt off the doctor was able to start his examination. "So Mr. Caffrey I hear your shoulder was injured. I'm going to have to examine it and this might hurt a bit but just hold your arm to the side," The doctor said before standing behind Neal he placed his hand on Neal's back as he started to rotate Neal's arm until there was a loud crunching pop.

Peter cringed at the sound and watched as the doctor took out a needle "Now I'm going to inject you with a muscle relaxant and some pain killers plus a mild sedative to keep you from moving around too much. I also want you to wear a sling for a week and limit all movement in your arm," The doctor said.

"You know I don't think I need a shot… if I just use the sling I will rest as long as I need," Neal said with an uneasy chuckle. Peter nodded to the doctor, Neal squealed as the needle was roughly jabbed into his shoulder and the drugs were injected as he closed his eyes when the needle was pulled out of his shoulder. "You're a regular Kevorkian you know that" Neal mumbled as he put his shirt back on. Peter bit his lip to keep from laughing as the doctor helped Neal into the sling before excusing himself.

The two men left the clinic and got back into the car and by the time they pulled out of the parking lot the sedative had started to kick in and Neal began to sing; Peter laughed as he tried to understand sedatives always treated Neal in this manner. Peter continued to chuckle as he drove down the street and parked in front of his home.

"You know I just want to thank you Peter, you are just so sweet to me even though I'm a total screw up," Neal mumbled as he put his head against the head rest since the sedatives were making him a little loopy. Peter pulled the keys from the ignition and looked at Neal.

"You're not a total screw up…just a mild screw up with redeeming qualities. Now let's get inside before you start singing again," Peter remarked with a smile as he got out of the car and walked around the front to help Neal out. After a few seconds of maneuvering Peter managed to pull Neal across the sidewalk and up the stairs. Neal kept his left arm around Peter's shoulder. "You're so strong; I wonder how you look without a shirt," Neal said flirtatiously as he was pulled into the house.

Peter rolled his eyes and kept walking until they were in the house, right away he saw Elizabeth waiting in the dining room with Jones and Diana. "We may have to wait on the welcome home party Neal's a bit out of it; we had to get his arm checked out at the clinic since the prison dropped the ball in seeing to his medical treatment," he said trying his best to keep Neal on his feet.

* * *

Neal smiled and turned to Peter, and without any warning he grabbed Peter and pulled him into a deep kiss before letting him go. "Yes… I win" Elizabeth cried out as she turned to the others with her hand out. "Pay up you two; you both lost," she added as Diana and Jones pulled five hundred dollars out of their pockets and handed it over to Peter's wife.

Elizabeth counted up the money and put it in her pocket. Peter flushed a deep red as he left Neal on the couch to rest. "I'm going upstairs for a while, you three can enjoy the winning," he said before adding "El I would like a word with you when you get a chance" He said before going up the stairs to their bedroom to wait for his wife. He looked over at Satchmo and rubbed his head as he sat on the bed wonder what just happened and why his wife and team were exchanging money.

Elizabeth smiled "Well it looks like I have two people to take care of now; I'll see you both later and just give Peter the pool when he's at work tomorrow. I wouldn't tell him that it's another bet… it might upset him." Elizabeth said as she walked Diana and Jones out of the house before turning to back to Neal on the couch. "How you feeling Neal; do you need anything?" she asked with a smile.

"I can see why you love Peter; he's such a big teddy bear," Neal said before breaking out into a song again before finally falling asleep his hair falling over his eyes making him look younger and more innocent. With a smile Elizabeth walked upstairs and entered the master bedroom.

Peter looked up at his wife "So what was with the money?" he asked sitting back against the pillows Elizabeth looked around the room for a moment before speaking. "We made a bet that Neal would make a move on you and since he made a move today I won the bet" she said as she sat on the bed beside Peter. "So…what's it like…kissing Neal?"Elizabeth asked with a smile.

The agent sighed and looked at his wife "It was brief but I would have to say it was quick and with a hint of vanilla" Peter said noticing that Elizabeth was biting back a smile. They sat together for an hour talking until Peter felt it was too quiet on the first floor. "I'm going to make sure Neal hasn't run off," Peter remarked as he left the room and went downstairs. Once there he saw that Neal had stopped singing and was fast asleep on the couch where he left him.

"At least you're getting some sleep," Peter remarked as he sat on the edge of the couch and when he was sure no one was around he watched Neal sleep._ If he didn't get so loopy on sedatives I would suggest he always take them…_ Peter thought as he pushed some bangs out of Neal's eyes.

Mumbling lightly in his sleep Neal shifted and nuzzled against Peter's hand in his sleep. Peter shook his head a bit in amusement at the sight "You can be such a pain sometimes Neal but I guess I can't say I wish you stayed in jail," Peter remarked as he kept playing with Neal's hair, when he was sure that Neal was sound asleep he took in a deep breath.

"This has been the craziest day in my life…but I guess I wouldn't have it any other way. I guess I should let you get your sleep," Peter said as he started to stand up, but stopped when he felt himself being held back. "Are you going already? " Neal asked groggily as he opened his eyes,

Peter sighed and sat back down. "How are you feeling? Have the sedatives worn off already?" he asked as Neal nodded a bit. "I feel a little light headed and tired but not as bad as before," Neal said as he tried to sit up only to have Peter push him back down.

"El thinks it would be better if you sleep down here since you're already comfortable right here; I'll get you a blanket I'll be right back," Peter said as he went to the chest in the dining room and pulled out a warm blanket and brought it back to Neal and making sure he was completely covered with it. "Now you stay warm and in the morning we'll start you off with a little food to see if you can hold it down. I'll see you in the morning partner." Peter said before turning the dining room lights off and made his way to the stairs. "Hey Peter…thanks for getting me out of there and not killing me for about the kiss…I'll see you in the morning," Neal said before getting comfortable on the couch and going back to sleep.

Peter paused and smiled "Good night Neal…seeing you in the morning" Peter said as he went up the stairs for the night. Elizabeth smiled "So he's still down there I take it…you should know that Neal isn't as bad as you think, you should put some more trust in him," she said as she pulled the blankets up.

With a smirk Peter changed his clothes and got into bed "I do trust him, that is till he steals my wallet for practice," he said as he shut the light off.

* * *

Neal woke the next morning to smell of toast and bacon, after battling the blanket that had tangled around him he got up from the couch and ended up walking right into Peter. "Morning Peter, did I make us late for work?" Neal asked with a small smile.

"We're not late we're going later, I wanted you to get your sleep and oh I think this belongs to you" Peter said holding up Neal's wallet. Neal felt his back pocket and realized that it was his wallet. "How… how did you manage that?" Neal asked flabbergasted that someone had managed to pick his pocket.

Peter smirked "A good con never reveals how he pulls a con" Peter remarked as he handed the wallet back to Neal. With a smirk Neal slipped his wallet back into his pocket and looked at the agent. "You know this is a real turn on…you stealing and acting like a con artist" Neal remarked as he walked past the other man and took the empty seat at the table.


End file.
